Tips On Reducing Illness And Infection In Schools

Attendance at school is linked to academic achievement in secondary students, according to research ^[1].

Missing just a few days of class for reasons including illness could mean the difference between a student passing university entrance requirements or not ^[2].

With the NZ government planning to spend $88m to bolster student attendance ^[2], it’s clear truancy is a big cost to the country.

Hence, it’s of utmost priority for schools to take the well-being of their students seriously.

Here are some simple ways your school can prevent infection from spreading in your classrooms.

Sanitise & disinfect

Having the right products in the right place at the right time plays a huge factor in keeping your classrooms clean, and free of infection.

Hands are a common method of transmission for bacteria and viruses.

This method of transmission is easily prevented by encouraging good hand hygiene, as well as frequent disinfection of high touch points.

We recommend hand washing for 20 seconds with water and foam soaps to improve cost efficiency and reduce environmental impact. 

For convenience in classrooms, we recommend rubbing hands with hand sanitisers such as Kemsol Microban, a highly effective hand sanitiser that contains 70% ethanol, and additionally contains natural moisturisers.

See our full range of foaming soaps, anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitisers.

In terms of disinfection, one of the best ways to clean surfaces is to wipe the surface clean with a cleaning detergent, then apply a disinfectant cleaning chemical, leaving it for the appropriate contact time, before wiping it off.

Ventilate

The government has provided guidance ^[3] around ventilation to ensure classrooms keep a fresh supply of air coming in, while also maintaining a comfortable temperature and level of humidity.

The guidance includes advice on opening doors and windows for certain periods of time, as well as incorporating ‘refresh’ breaks to flush out stale air.

Southern Hospitality also stocks the Aire Puri UV Compact Air Disinfection Unit , a stylish ceiling-mounted UV light air disinfection unit ideal for any common space. It is shown to eliminate up to 99.9% of all **airborne viruses, mould and other bacteria that may be present around you. 

For more information see the Te Mahau Government Ventilation Guide

Credit- Thanks to our Chemical Manufacturing partner for sharing this data with us.

Sources:

1. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/attendance
2. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/budget-2022-school-attendance-truancy-focus-of-88-million-funding-package-and-strategy
3. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/school-truancy-sickness-crisis-new-figures-reveal-barely-60-per-cent-of-kids-regularly-attend-class